Claim: A study has linked eating grits with increased chances of fathering a gay child.
FALSE
Examples: [Collected via email, October 2014]
There are reports that Stanford University had a study showing that eating grits by a man increases the likelihood of having gay
children. Please look into this.
Origins: On
According to the article, men who "regularly eat grits are 70 percent more likely to have gay children." Citing a purported prospective cohort study published in Nature Medicine, Daily Currant claimed:
"We were shocked when we ran the data," says Edmund Bergler, the lead researcher on the project. "But we controlled for every variable. We triple-checked every calculation. And it turned out that eating grits makes your kids gay."
Although the study did find some connection between the maternal intake of sugar during pregnancy and childhood obesity, the most surprising finding was that fathers who ate grits had a much greater chance of having a gay child.
The article identified a chemical called "homotonin" as the cause:
"Homosexuality is a choice. But it's the father's choice. What he eats for breakfast determines the orientation of his child." "Grits have the highest homotonin levels. Its off the charts," he explains. "However foods like sweet tea, biscuits,
"Gay people like to say that they are born that way, and they are right," he explains. "The DNA damage that causes homosexuality happens much earlier, even before conception.
Despite its convincing tone, the claim about "homotonin" in grits is another humorous bit from the Daily Currant, a fake news site.
The site's About page is clear on its satirical nature; previous fictional articles from that site include pieces about dozens of Coloradans dying of marijuana overdoses shortly after recreational use of cannabis was legalized in that state and Sarah Palin's claiming that Jesus celebrated Easter.
Last updated: 21 October 2014